Is there anything an echo can’t tell me about my heart?

The heart muscle has its own dedicated blood supply, which it receives from three small arteries running across its surface (the coronary arteries). People who develop atherosclerosis (fatty plaque deposits) may suffer a blockage in one or more of these arteries, which can damage an area of the heart muscle (this is a ‘heart attack’). This damage can be seen during an echo scan, however, the arteries themselves are too small to be visualised. As such, whilst an echo can find evidence of a previous heart attack, it cannot usually predict the risk of a future heart attack.